Have you started to consider what your web presence should look like in 2016? If you haven’t updated the design of your website over the last few years then now is a good time to do it.
While most of these trends are based on what we’ve been seeing in the latter stages of 2015, we can see these carrying on into 2016.
Mobile Friendly Web Design
Mobile friendly websites are now becoming more of a must rather than a trend. The concept is simple and easy, not only does it make your site viewable across a range of different devices, but search engines now tend to rank mobile-friendly websites higher.
Flat Design
Flat designs continue to be one of the most effective web design methods and looks like it is in no danger of being replaced anytime soon. The idea is to simply remove all characteristics of realism such as drop shadows or gradients.
Hero Images (Full screen images)
Full screen images are one of the easiest and fastest ways to grab a user’s attention. Slow load times shouldn’t be an issue thanks to the advances of bandwidth and data compression.
Typography
With the increased use of Retina and HD screens, it’s vital that not only the correct typography is used but its served at a size that is big enough for a user to read. Large-scale typography tends to be something that’s closely related to flat designs too.
The typography market is rich and varied and you can easily purchase great fonts at reasonable prices. Google fonts offer developers and designers a wide range off fonts, all of which can be used for free.
Long Scrolling Pages
Scrolling is becoming the predominant method of interaction. Mobile web has changed the way we think and interact with websites. Scrolling is simply easier to do, faster and gives you more control. Scrolling is just more natural.
Sticky Navigation
Sticky navgation perfectly suits websites that decide to go with the long scrolling pages. The sticky bar is a good opportunity for a user to have access to the site navigation without the need to scroll back to the top of a page.
Minimalism
Minimalism is key to any website. The key to minimalism is to remove any non-essential design elements or distractions. Websites are more engaging when you’re not required to read through endless chunks of text or adverts to find the content you were looking for in the first place.
